Sliding-prong buckle



Marh 1s 1924.

AH. KERNGOOD SLIDING PRONG BUCKLE Filed Nov. 22. 1923 i ii? 1a.)"; 6

ETED ST PATENT QFFICE- ALLEN KER-NGOOD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO ALMA MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A. CORPORA- TION or MARYLAND.

SLIDING-PRONG BUCKLE.

Application filed November 22, 1923. Serial No. 676,318.

T 0 all 707mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sliding-Prong Buckles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to buckles particularly designed for use on garments.

The object of the invention is to provide a buckle having a sliding pronged tongue, as distinguished from one that is pivoted in the frame, the tongue being moved into and out of operative engagement by a lever pivoted in the frame and cooperating with the tongue, the tongue being so mounted in the frame as to have a right line movement in a fixed plane, so that the correct operation of the tongue and its freedom from accidental dislocation are ensured.

The invention consists of a buckle having a pronged tongue member mounted on a cross bar of the buckle frame and capable of a back and forth sliding movement on said cross bar, so as tobe engaged with and disengaged from the article with which it is used, means being provided to hold the tongue to the cross bar in such way as to ensure its proper movement, and prevent its dislocation in operation, this tongue being moved into and out of engagement with the article by means of a lever pivoted in the buckle frame and having a finger which engages the tongue, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view looking at the top of the buckle and showing the parts in engaging position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view also looking at the top of the buckle and showing the parts in disengaged position. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4: is a bottom plan view. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section with the parts in disengaged posi-' tion, showing a strap or beltin position. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section showing the parts engaged with the strap. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the tongue detached.

The frame of the buckle has the side members 1 connected at theirrear end by a cross bar ,2 and at the front end by a cross H; KEIiNGOOD,

bar 3, the latter having an upturned portion a, the two portions 3 and t'e xtending substantially the width of the frame and forming a guard or shield for the prongs of the aftermentioned sliding tongue of the buckle. The frame also has a cross bar 5 arranged between the cross bars 2 and 3 and this cross bar 5 has the integral overturned fingers 6 arranged parallel with the plane of the cross bar 5 and projecting from'the forward portion of the cross bar towardthe rear of the frame.

The tongue of the buckle, Fig. 7, consists of a fiat body portion 7 of a width to fit freely between the sides of the frame and having any number, as two, frontal prongs 8 to engage the belt or straps to be'secured,

these prongs preferably being embossed to reenforce them and raised above the plane of the, body and having a forward inclination so that their points may come to rest on the crossbar 3. Extending from front of the tongue rearw-ardly are the notches 9 of a width to pass the overlying fingers at their junction with the cross bar 5 so that the tongue may be moved forward'to engage the article to be buckled. At the rear of the prongs is a slot 10 extending width wise of the tongue, and back of this slot the body portion has a notch 11 to form a reduced bridge-piece 12.

The tongue and its prongs and other parts are a one-piece structure, rigid throughout.

The cross bar 5 is the sole support for the tongue in its sliding movements and when at rest.

The tongue is mounted on top of the cross bar 5 and beneath its fingers 6, so that the fingers hold the tongue in parallelism with said cross bar while permitting freedom of sliding movement of the tongue on the cross bar fore and aft of the frame.

The sliding tongue may be operated by any suitable lever mechanism, one form being herein shown in detail. This lever mechanism comp-rises the side pieces 13 connected by a cross bar 14 of curved cross section, the reverse of the curvature of the cross bar 2, and a cross bar 15 from which extend laterally the trunnions 16 which engage bearing holes 17 in the sides of the frame, by means of which the lever is pivotally mounted in the frame over the tongue. The crossbar has the finger 18 projecting .Gil

downwardly from it and curved longitudinally sufficiently long to extend through the slot 10 and engage its adjacent edges so as to slide the tongue back and forth as the lever is raised and lowered on its trunnions as an axis. The curvature of this finger 18 is such, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, that it cannot separate accidentally from the tongue and the contact of the tip 19 of the finger with the bridge. 12 serves as a stop to prevent the overthrow of the lever in its upward movement, Fig. 5. The cross bar is cut away between its sides so as to provide space for the movement of the tip of the finger 18.

The sides 1 of the frame may be made with indentations 20 against which the sides of the lever are sprung so to hold the lever when closed down, as in Figs. 1 and 6, and thus prevent accidental unbuckling.

The operation is a follows :21 may represent the strap by which the buckle is socured to av garment. the strap being folded and secured about the cross bar 2. shown in Figs. and 6. 22 may represent a companion strap to strap 2i and this strap is passed from below through the slot inten vening between the bars 3 and 5 of the buckle frame and the lever having been turned up, this end is passed between. the cross bars 14: and 15 and under cross bar 14. so as to extend beneath the lever member.

Then the lever member turned down from v the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6 and carries with it the strap 22. This movement of the lever serves to move the sliding tongue forward and force its prongs 8 through the strap to hold the strap securely in adjusted position.

As will be observed by reference to Fig. 6. the pointed ends otthe prongs 8 rest on the cross bar 3 due to the strain that may be transmitted through the strap 22. and these pointed ends are shielded or guarded by the portion 4, so that there is no danger to the operator or to the garments or other article to which the buckle applied.

The. making of the prongs asrigid iii themselves and also rigidly connected with and preferably as an integral part of the sliding tongue results not only in economy of construction but obviates the liabilitfi of displacement or dislocation of.

strap or goods properly to effect buckling.

' Variations in details of construction d in the arrangement of parts are permissible within the principle of the invention as herein explained and hereinafter claimed.

That I claim is z.- 1. A sliding prong buckle, having a frame constructed with a cross bar, and a pronged tongue made as a one piece struc n'iovahle prongs and thus the user of the buckle may be assured that the prongs will. enter the ture rigid throughout and mounted to slide back and forth on said cross bar in a right line, means to connect the cross bar and tongue and maintain them in operative position, and means mounted in the frame and engging the tongue to. impart thereto the right line movement-back and forth in the frame.

2. A. sliding prong buckle, having a frame constructed with a cross bar, a prongod tongue mounted to slide back and forth on said cross bar, fingers on the cross bar to hold the sliding tongue in sliding Contact n 'th the cross bar and a lever member pivotally mounted in the frame and engaging the sliding tongue and adapted to slide said tongue back and forth into and out of engagement with the article to be buckled.

3. A sliding prong buckle, having a frame constructed with a cross bar, a sliding tongue mounted on said cross barand provided with rigid prongs in one piece therewith. fingers on said cross bar overlying the sliding tongue and holding it in sliding relation thereto. and a lever member pivotallv mounted in said frame and provided with a finger in sliding engagement with the tongue.

4. A sliding prong buckle, having a frame ronstruetet with a cross bar a sliding tongue mounted vided with rigi. prongs in'one piece therewith and als provided with a transverse slot. fingers on said cross bar overlying the sliding tongue and holding it in sliding relation thereto, 'and a lever member pivotally mounted in said frame and proidde'd' with ,a finger extending through said slot and having its tip curved to engage the back of the tongue to prevent the overthrow of the lever member in its open position.

A sliding prong buckle, having a. frame provided with end cross bars. and an interll'lEfllflllQ cross bar constructed with oven lying fingers. a sliding pronged tongue mounted on said intermediate cross bar and beneath its fingers and notched to slide forward along said fingers and provided with a transverse slot. and a tongue operating lever pivotally mounted in the frame over the sliding tongue and having a linger extending through the slot in the sliding tongue and adapted to move the tongue so as to cause its prongs to penetrate'an article to be buckled and to tree'it from such engagement bya reverse movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twenty first day of Novemher A. D. 1923.

7 ALLEN H. KERNGOOD. lVitnesses J. RosnnnniM, M. F. BOSWELL.

on said cross bar and pro; 

